The smart labs at Anchovy Primary School in St. James and Unity Primary School in Westmoreland, which were destroyed during the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October, are to be re-established.
The Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information and Digicel Foundation on Thursday (May 14) signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) to rebuild the facilities under the Smart Lab Programme.
Addressing the signing ceremony at the Ministry’s National Heroes Circle offices in Kingston, Permanent Secretary, Dr. Kasan Troupe, said that collectively, more than 2,400 students and approximately 120 teachers will benefit from the labs.
She shared that both schools will be provided with 24 new devices, a Mimio Board as well as student and teacher furniture.
“They will get locks for the computers to ensure that they are safe and, of course, the training will continue to ensure the teachers can use the devices to the benefit of the students,” she said.
Dr. Troupe expressed gratitude to Digicel Foundation for being a consistent partner of the Ministry.
“We got some damage in our schools pursuant to the passage of the hurricane and Digicel came back to our rescue. They visited these institutions and they have said, we are going to reinvest in these institutions,” she said.
Chief Executive Officer of the Digicel Foundation, Charmaine Daniels, commended the institutions for how well they utilised the labs.
“It was a no-brainer for us to put back labs there, because we know that you’re good custodians of the investment,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Troupe said the Ministry is revising its equipment protocol to reduce damage in the event of natural disasters.
“We actually give specific instructions about what to move, how to move, where to pack and how to cover. So that protocol is already in place. Of course, we’ll update,” she said.
Additionally, she shared that infrastructure is being reconstructed with resilience in mind.
“We are guided by new standards. So, our building standards are different and also how we place our labs. So, in this case, where they are upstairs, we’re taking it downstairs,” she said.
